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CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL |
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February 2012
Published Monthly September through May |
Guy Nelson
Brother Bernard Couvillion, S.C.
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If his plans had not gone awry, Guy Nelson's career at Brother Martin would have ended after only two years.
- When Guy left for graduate school at the University of Texas, Brother Bernard Couvillion, the English Department chair, told him he would be welcome should he ever want to return to Brother Martin.
- Guy helped fund his studies in Austin by teaching technical writing to architects.
I liked doing that. I loved math. Actually, math was my favorite subject in school.
- After being there a year, he had completed much of the course work for a PhD. in English. However, reality began to kick in. The previous year, Texas had graduated about 50 PhDs in English. However, only two had gotten jobs commensurate with their degrees.
- He also began to catch on to the "political shenanigans" in college departments.
- Back in New Orleans for Christmas, he learned that Brother Bernard would attend Florida State the following year to earn a Master's in English Education, thus opening a spot at Brother Martin.
So Guy returned to 4401 Elysian Fields in 1972 while finishing the requirements for his Ph.D. during the summers.
- He passed his comprehensives and submitted his dissertation on Saul Bellow. He thought everything was set for receiving his doctorate.
- However, one member of his committee refused to accept his dissertation. Since approval had to be unanimous, this blocked his receiving the degree. Guy learned later that the disapproving professor had it in for his dissertation director.
- By that time, Guy had settled into high school teaching.
I thought, "This feels right for me. I like doing this. This is what God is calling me to do."
He participated in the innovative English program in the early years of Brother Martin.
- The 11th-12th grade curriculum consisted of half-year courses, including Composition I and II, American Literature, 20th Century Literature, Great American Authors, World Literature, and Themes in Literature.
- Despite all his English credits from UNO and Texas, Guy still wasn't certified to teach high school because he lacked the required education courses.
- He took care of that problem by completing 18 hours at Our Lady of Holy Cross College one summer. He took two three hour courses and did the other 12 units as independent study.
- He served as moderator of the school newspaper, The Crusader. However, he is more well known for his 15 years as the yearbook advisor.
I liked the involvement with everything going on around campus. I went to every event to shoot pictures. I talked to the top five or six 8th graders in my English class about joining the yearbook staff. It also got me into technology because everything was going to Desktop Publishing. You had to work like hell to finish it, then move on to the next one. It satisfied my need to do something creative.
- Along the way, Guy taught religion in the mid-80s. In recent years, he has worked with the Eucharistic Ministers.
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When he became English chair in the late '70s, Guy implemented some significant changes.
- The curriculum had just returned to the traditional year-long courses.
- He was concerned about the way teachers were assigned to classes.
We put our youngest and weakest teachers in the 8th and 9th grade classes. I thought, "If we're going to develop our seniors, we've got to start with them as 8th and 9th graders." So I started teaching the 8th grade honors group. I also taught junior and senior classes.
Guy spent three years in the position of Public Relations Director in the late '80s.
- He was part of the new development team led by Brother Jean with Greg Rando as Student Activities Director and Barry Hebert as Alumni Director.
I got to write for the Clarion after all. I enjoyed working with that concept but got to the point where I could finish most of my work by 11:30 and had to make things up to do. I began to get bored with it. So I told Brother Ivy, "I've got to go back to teaching. I'm a teacher, not an administrator."
When he returned to full-time teaching, Guy became the third Brother More Schaefer Award winner.
 1993 Brother More Schaefer Award recipient flanked by President
Brother Ivy LeBlanc, S.C., Guy's wife Judy, and Principal John Devlin As you might expect, Guy has seen significant changes in students over 40 years.
In the early years, high school was a bigger part of kids' lives. This was a neighborhood school. Kids walked or took the bus. To a lot of kids, this was the highlight of their day. A sanctuary. But that's not true for the majority of kids today.
Our kids have less knowledge in certain areas than they did 15-20 years ago. You have to change. We can agree or disagree with how. For me nowadays, I have to know my kids much better. I hate the first couple of weeks of teaching each year. It took me awhile to figure out why - I don't know the kids yet. It takes a whole semester for kids to know you. All of sudden, at the beginning of December, the kids are comfortable.
Guy recalls a student who epitomizes what Brother Martin is all about.
I had a junior who sat in the front row. Always there, always trying. But he couldn't pass. He just couldn't learn. I told his mom, a single mom, that I really didn't know what to do with her son. She said, "I know he's not going to college. I want him at Brother Martin because he's happy here. People like him. People treat him with respect." That made me think that I'm not in charge of what these kids get from their education. I'm just a small component of it.
Guy has decided that 2011-12 will be his last year on the Brother Martin faculty. He told friends in January of his decision to retire to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. |
Guy Nelson as a member of the Development team (1988)
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